If there was any time this season for the Denver Broncos to prove that they are the AFC‘s elite, this Sunday could prove that.
With the New England Patriots‘ loss on Monday against the Carolina Panthers, the Broncos are now two games ahead of the Patriots for home-field advantage in the AFC Playoffs. This makes the match up on Sunday Night very significant. If the Broncos win they are on the inside track to win home-field advantage, but if the Patriots win they are still alive in that discussion.
Another way that this game has more meaning is that this could be one of the last times that Tom Brady and Peyton Manning go head-to-head. Brady has the advantage over Manning, but I feel as if Manning will get the better of Brady this time around. I see these quarterbacks dueling again for at least another year or two, but the match up this year at this stage could not be at a bigger time. The Broncos just defeated a previous unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs team and are feeling very confident, perhaps enough to go into Foxboro to steal a win on the road. Meanwhile, the Patriots hit a roadblock against the Panthers that will not hurt them in the long run since it was an interconference match up, but lose this weekend to the Broncos and that could be the deciding factor between a first round bye and a wild card game assuming that the Indianapolis Colts catch up to the Patriots and win out.
All I have to say is we are in for an entertaining football game between two of the AFC’s elite with both teams having something to prove on the big stage.
Tylor Walden is a Denver Broncos writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TylorDWalden, “like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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